


Unmated

by CLeighWrites



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Age Difference, Age Swap, Alpha Jared Padalecki, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Kim Rhodes, Bottom Jensen Ackles, Claiming, Claiming Bites, First Time, Knotting, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Miscommunication, Mpreg, Omega Briana Buckmaster, Omega Jensen Ackles, Pack Dynamics, Top Jared Padalecki, first time knotting, heat sickness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27713177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CLeighWrites/pseuds/CLeighWrites
Summary: Jensen was older than any other unmated omega in the pack; he blamed his below-average looks, glasses, and stutter. Jared comes home after being abroad, studying cutting edge pack management, to find Jensen had grown into his perfect omega if he could only make him see.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 42
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jld71](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jld71/gifts).



> There is no actual malicious manipulation in this fic; it truly is a misunderstanding. 
> 
> As far as the age gap/swap thing goes; Jared is 35, and Jensen is 19 (pushing 20). 
> 
> In this A/B/O universe, male omegas have smaller than average genitalia and can get pregnant. The mpreg tag is for a brief mention at the VERY end. 
> 
> This fills my Claiming square on my A/B/O Bingo card. 
> 
> _This was a commission! If you’d like your own, check out my[Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/s/514bfb5367), and let’s chat!_

Jensen was your every day, run-of-the-litter omega. He loved to take care of others, was fiercely protective of his little sister, and dreamed of having pups of his own one day. The only issue with that dream was that Jensen  _ wasn’t _ a typical omega. He was too tall, wasn’t very handsome (what with his freckles and glasses and bowed legs), and tended to stutter when he got nervous (which was pretty much _every time_ he had to talk to an alpha). He was a socially awkward mess who was too shy to try to change, was closing in on twenty, and was terrified that he would never find a mate. 

Almost all of his classmates and coworkers had found mates long before they’d turned eighteen, and it was looking as if Jensen was going to be the only unmated omega in the pack, other than the pups. He had tried wearing contacts to make himself more attractive and had read almost every “How to be a Type-A Omega” book off the shelf, but he just couldn’t bring himself to be more assertive with finding a mate. Since all of his alpha friends had stopped hanging out with him in high school, Jensen had even grown to be ashamed of his burnt wood scent as the years passed; he’d taken to sequestering himself away in the days leading up to his heats so that his pungent smell wouldn’t offend everyone around him.

If it weren’t for his work at the pack’s main hangout or the few times he would stop by The Playhouse where his friends and some of the older pups liked to hang out and play, he would only leave the house to do the shopping. As it were, he loved working at The Corner Bistro. His entire life, the smell of coffee had been comforting to him, the rich earthy aroma simply soothed his soul, and he lived to get up early in the morning, before the world woke, and start baking. He didn’t have to talk to anyone, and he got to make what was likely the first thing some people would eat in their day. That first bite of a freshly baked muffin or scone could make or break someone’s day, and Jensen loved being a part of that. Since he didn’t have a mate of his own or pups to keep happy, he would have to settle for others in the pack and strangers who would wander in on occasion. 

The Corner Bistro was a coffee house by day and a local taproom by night. Jensen wasn’t nearly social enough to help run a bar, and he loved baking, so it stood to reason that Jeffery hired him to do the baking in the mornings and help with the coffees when lines got busy after he had finished. After nearly biting his tongue off taking the pack leader, Jared’s, order one morning, Jeff had taken mercy on him and allowed him to stay on the espresso machine, pulling shots and steaming milk, until his shift was over at noon. 

Jared was a tall, broad, strong alpha. Jensen had always looked up to him and dreamed of finding himself an alpha just as capable as Jared someday. Jared was kind and just and funny, on top of being indescribably handsome. He even had a perfectly placed mole by his nose that only added to his appeal, unlike the smattering of freckles that covered Jensen’s body. Jared’s time away had only made him more attractive. His muscles were more profound, and his hair had grown longer to where it was almost down to his shoulders; even his voice was more resonant, Jensen would swear to it. Every alpha in the pack admired and even envied him, and every omega would have turned ass up to him at a word’s notice, especially Jensen. 

Since Jared’s return, there had been times when Jensen felt that Jared was paying him special attention. He would thank Jensen specifically for his drink or tell him that the orange cranberry muffins he’d made were exceptionally delicious that day and various other compliments. Jensen had quickly dismissed them all because that was just Jared’s personality. Jared wasn’t the only one to compliment Jensen’s baking or his latte making skills. Other omegas had asked him for tips, and betas had requested that he be the one to make their drinks. Even other alphas had praised him for his abilities, only to avoid him every time they’d come in afterward, which left Jensen feeling that not even his culinary prowess could earn him an alpha. 

“Where’s your head at, Jen?” Kim asked. She was a nice, if not dark-souled, beta, who always made sure to keep Jensen from stewing in his feelings when things got slow. 

“Nowhere.” Jensen sighed and leaned against the counter, facing the espresso machine where Kim was steaming milk. 

It was almost noon, and Jensen had offered to cover the register for Briana so that she could go to the bathroom. He was crossing his fingers, toes, and eyes that no one came in for five minutes. 

“Daydreaming about finding you an alpha again?” Sometimes, Kim was too intuitive for her own good. 

Jensen sulked. “No.”

“Uh, huh. Have some faith; it’ll happen when it’s meant to.” She smiled at him and called out the order for Rob she’d just finished.

“Yeah, well, if fate takes any longer, I’ll be barren.” 

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Their newly appointed pack leader’s sultry voice startled Jensen so harshly that he literally jumped where he stood. 

“Um, I-, uh.” Jensen cursed himself internally for not regaining his composure quickly. “I mean,” Jensen kept his eyes glued to the register, nervously pushing his glasses up his nose. “What c-can I get you today, s-sir?” Jensen’s stomach fluttered at the title, and he felt hot under his collar. 

Jared made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded an awful lot like a purr but was more likely a grumble from hunger. “I would love one of your blueberry-streusel scones and a large iced vanilla coffee, please. And I’d love it if _you_ made it for me; you always make it just right.” Jared winked at him, and Jensen felt like he’d just done a triple espresso shot in one gulp, hot and jittery. 

“Yes, s-sir.” Jensen nodded and put in the code for Jared to get his meal for free; being the pack alpha had its perks.

Kim gave him a pointed look as she stepped out of his way for him to make the coffee. Jensen’s hands shook as he pumped the vanilla syrup into the cup, and still as he got the milk out of the mini-fridge. He could feel Jared watching him as he reached across the counter to get the iced coffee out of the dispenser. 

“Here ya go, alpha,” Kim called out as Jensen was putting the ice in Jared’s drink, presumably handing over his warmed scone. 

“Thank you, Kim.” Jared’s voice was as molten as warm butter and as smooth as a ristretto shot.

It took Jensen three tries to get the lid to snap onto the cup before he could turn and hold out the coffee for his alpha to take. Not _his_ alpha, but his and everyone else’s in the pack’s alpha. Would Jensen ever be able to think straight around an alpha? Maybe once he’d actually taken a knot. Not that he was thinking of taking _Jared’s_ knot.

“Iced van-nilla c-coffee, alpha,” Jensen muttered to the counter. 

Jared ducked his head down to meet Jensen’s eyes. “Thank you, omega.”

The use of Jensen’s gender-title made him feel faint. He couldn’t help the small whimper that came as his lips quirked into a small smile. Along with the whimper came a full body flush; he could feel his skin prickle with the heat of it, and he had to fight his instinct to run and hide in embarrassment. Jared wasn’t leaving, and Jensen’s flight or fight response had settled on frozen-in-place as he stood and restored his line of sight to the smoothed-concrete counter.

The moment was broken when Briana came rushing out of the back room. “What’d I miss? Oh, hey, alpha! D’you already order?”

Jared took a moment before responding, but Jensen noticed him shift his weight and turn to face the peppy omega. 

“I did, thank you, Briana.” Another pause. “Well, y’all have a great day. Thanks, again, Jensen.” 

Jensen could feel Jared watching him again. 

“You, too, alpha!” Kim and Briana said in a cheerful unison. 

The sound of the chime as the door opened and announced Jared’s exit was the most welcomed sound Jensen had heard all day. 

“Whoa, did I walk in on something or what?” Briana commented.

“Or what,” Kim answered.

“I think somebody’s got a crush,” Briana said the last word in a sing-song as she pressed her hip into Jensen’s leg.

“Shut up.”

“Not you, Jen. _Him_.” Briana clarified. 

Jensen turned to face her, not believing what she’d just said. “Him? The pack _alpha_?” Jensen felt rejected even before she confirmed who she’d been talking about. 

“Yeah. Are you blind?”

“He was staring at the counter the whole time. So, not really _blind_.” Kim said, and they both laughed. 

Jensen couldn’t believe what they were implying. “Me?” 

“You don’t think he comes in here for the band fliers, do ya? And every day since he’s been back, too.” Briana joked. 

“But, I’m just… me.” Jensen couldn’t think of any other descriptor that would prove his point any more than that. 

“Um, yeah. Tall, dark, and handsome. What’s not to like?”

Jensen shook his head. “Now you’re just being mean.” He walked down the line to head to the back and clock out for the day.

As he went through the door, he heard Briana say to Kim, “He honestly doesn’t get it, does he?”

What was there to get? Jensen was an almost twenty-year-old, unmated, undesirable omega. The only good he could do was wake up at three in the morning to come in and bake for his pack, serve them coffee, and otherwise stay out of people’s way. 

Jensen clocked out and tossed his apron in the bin with the dirty uniforms. He grabbed his hat out of the locker, set it low on his brow, then shoved his hands in his jeans’ pockets as he made his way to the lobby. 

As he walked past the display case with his day’s work proudly lit up, Kim called out to him. “One for the road?” When Jensen turned to look at her, she had her brows raised along with a cup. Her offering wreaked of consolation. “It’s just the way you like it.”

His go-to drink was a flat white with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg on top. Sympathy drink or not, there’s no sense in wasting a perfectly good espresso; that would be blasphemy.

“Only because you’ve already made it,” Jensen grumbled as he accepted the cup of hot, spicy perfection. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it, hon.” She gave him a sad smile and then went back to her place at the machine; people needed their lunch-time pick-me-ups, after all.

Jensen walked down the street to his shared apartment building run by an alpha around Jared’s age, Steve. State law prohibited omegas from owning property, but Jared had insisted that the alphas who owned buildings, and were able to afford to, rent rooms to some of the omegas in the pack who were either widowed or were otherwise single. Jared was a very inclusive alpha. 

He lived in a two-bedroom apartment, facing the street. There was an open-plan living room, kitchen area, and down a short hallway between the rooms were the bathroom and bedrooms. Jensen had lived there for just over a year and had already had three roommates, all of whom had gotten mated and moved out, leaving Jensen on his own. 

Even when he didn’t have a roommate, Jensen still paid the same for rent, which was fortunate for him because there was no way he would be able to afford twice the $500 he was already paying. His mother had let him live at home for six months after he turned eighteen before gently suggesting that he learn to live on his own and take care of himself. He had felt abandoned and isolated for a few weeks until he got strangely comfortable being on his own. If he’d ever needed anything, Steve was always there to help, and he was rarely ever actually alone for more than a few days before he’d get another roommate. 

His heats were another issue altogether. The older he got, the longer and more difficult they had become. He used to get by with an inflatable knot and three days in bed; he had progressed to needing to take suppressants and be out of work for an entire week. The inflatable knot was not alleviating his symptoms like it once had, and even increasing the size did nothing to slake his body’s needs. He had thought briefly of using an Alpha for Hire service but was heavily discouraged from making the call by everyone he had mentioned it to, which is how he ended up at the doctor’s office begging for suppressants to help with the cramping and hot flashes. 

He was glad the weather was beginning to cool. His heat was due in about a week, and he would be grateful for a cool breeze and leaving the window open rather than blasting the cold air and sleeping with his cooling blanket on high for a week. At the very least, it would help with the electric bill. 

The heat and tingle that his conversation with Jared had caused were mostly likely effects of his burgeoning heat. A few days beforehand, and sometimes afterward, Jensen would feel his senses heighten; he’d flush quicker, lose his temper faster, and more noticeably become less and less able to speak to alphas. Jensen could only hope, for the sake of the rest of his life, that some of these traits would disappear after he’d taken a knot. He wasn’t foolish enough to think that getting legitimately fucked would change his entire personality, but he could hope for a couple of upgrades. A little bit of confidence for starters. 

Jensen downed his drink and went through the motions of making his dinner, then sat down to eat and watch a little TV before he went to bed. Even old sitcoms couldn’t keep him from these particular thoughts. Ever since he was fifteen, alphas and even some of his beta friends had stopped offering him compliments, not just on his looks or abilities, but even on regular everyday things. Some of his friends had even cut off all contact with him. The more friends he lost, the more anxious he got about not being mated or even courted, leaving him feeling like he wasn’t a good omega. As a result of his growing anxiety, Jensen didn’t socialize very much in high school.

Before that, Jensen had gone to almost every pack gathering. Jared had always been present and gracious; it was no wonder that Jensen fell for him. Jared was already finished with college when Jensen was in high school, but Jared had always been compassionate toward him; being the alpha son of the pack alpha, he had to be at least cordial with everyone. Once his heats started to get regular, Jensen found it harder and harder not to think of Jared getting him through them. Despite their age difference, he had even built up the courage to say something to him, but then Jared had left town. Something about continuing studies on how to be an alpha leader. He had been gone for years. 

By the time Jared got back to town, Jensen was set up in his apartment and was working his early morning shifts at the bakery. He rarely had time for anything else, and with his work hours, no one even invited him out to do anything like pack dinners. Resigned to his spinster life, Jensen had stopped actively seeking any sort of familial connection with alphas and kept his deepest wishes to his daydreams; where Jared was his alpha and would knot him and pup him and give him a nice house and everyone in the pack would see how useful and worthwhile he really was. 

Jensen laughed at himself and cut the TV off. It was nearly seven, and he needed to settle down and go to bed; he had nine hours before he had to be at work. He went through his nighttime routine, washing his face, putting on his moisturizer, making sure he had a cotton liner in, just in case he started to slick in the night. When he walked into his bedroom, he didn’t bother flipping the lights on; the muted sunlight coming in through his curtains was enough for him to see. The sheets were cool to his skin as he slipped into bed, then he took his glasses off and turned to set them down and grab his earplugs and face mask to block out the remaining sounds and light of the day outside. He willed his mind to stop replaying his encounter with Jared and the subsequent conversation with Kim and Briana. 

His go-to fantasy for when he wanted to encourage himself to sleep was of Jared and himself living in a little shotgun house at the edge of the city. Far enough away that it was quieter, and they could have a small yard for their pups, but it was still close by for pack business and the good schools. Jared would be sitting on the porch reading the paper, a pup wrapped around his long legs, and Jensen would be in the yard, rolling around in the dirt with their oldest pups, digging for bugs and discovering the world. He fell asleep with a wistful smile on his face and a tear gently rolling down his cheek. 


	2. Chapter 2

Jared hated that he was such a chicken shit when it came to Jensen. Before he’d left, Jensen was just coming into his own, growing into a strong omega. He had always been adorable, but once he’d presented and really started to fill out, Jared hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off of the boy. It had felt wrong then, Jensen had barely been fifteen when Jared had left, but he couldn’t get him, or his smoldering wood scent, out of his mind. 

He had friends that were still in town that could keep him up to date on Jensen’s life and suggested that they should discourage any overly-friendly advances made toward him in Jared’s absence. Jared knew that Jensen was his mate; he just had to be patient and let Jensen grow up before he could mate him and mark him as his. In the bygone days, as soon as Jensen had presented, Jared would have taken him; but Jared wasn’t that sort of alpha. Jared aimed to earn Jensen, to deserve him. 

Jared wanted to change the pack hierarchy. He couldn’t change the laws of the land, but he could work to change the way that his pack treated omegas. They weren’t second class citizens; they were the creators of life and should be cherished. When he’d left for his pack leader training, he was disgusted with how all of the alphas talked about their omega counterparts and how they were being encouraged to keep the status quo with the last century’s worth of backward lawmaking. After a week, he’d left and sought a better training program, a more inclusive, forward-thinking program that would help the entire pack grow and thrive. 

His searching led him to Bucharest, where he studied under a female alpha pack leader, which was almost unheard of in the States. Vivian had taught him about balance between all genders, primary and secondary, alike. He hadn’t even realized how sexist he was until he’d spent time with her pack. He stayed there for several months, relearning how to exist without assuming gender or gender roles. 

Once he left Bucharest, he went to Haarlem in the Netherlands, where he met Liam and spent quite some time with his pack. The Netherlands itself was an amazing country. Their entire system and way of treating its citizens were astounding and had given Jared some great ideas for improving things with his future pack. For example, as a people, the Dutch took care of their elders in a much better way than anything he’d ever heard of in the United States. They had full villages set up, specifically for the elderly population. They had a pay scale that the government-subsidized, and the residents had access to a grocery, post office, town square, and everything else that other residents had access to. The only difference was that they had caretakers who lived in their shared home spaces. 

Jared suggested to his father that they implement the concept within their pack, making sure that omegas and the elderly had a safe place to live, where they didn’t feel like they were burdens on their families, but they were still suitably looked after. Once his friend from school, Steve, had outfitted his apartment building to house several people, in an inexpensive way, he had contacted Jensen’s mother. He informed her of the opportunity for Jensen to live on his own, safely, at the new complex. She had been wary but ultimately decided that it would be best for Jensen to live independently and experience life before being mated. 

Jared stayed with several other packs, all over Europe, learning different customs from each. Most packs that he stayed with, everyone worked or helped with the pack somehow, omegas included. He sent word back to the owners of shops within the pack and encouraged them to hire omegas. It wasn’t against the law, but it was socially frowned upon for omegas to be in the workforce instead of barefoot and pregnant at home surrounded by pups. Jared wanted to create an equal dynamic in his pack. 

He’d then gotten word that his father had become very ill and would be stepping down as pack alpha; Jared had been gone for five years. It had never been his intention to be gone for so long, but he had learned so much. Each pack had told him of another that had made tremendous advances in leadership. It was hard for him to give up his quest for knowledge, but he had to go back home and start implementing his acquisitions within his pack, personally.

He’d come home to a very enthusiastic pack dinner that was noticeably missing one person in particular that Jared had most been looking forward to seeing again after five long years. Jensen wasn’t there. After asking several people, he’d been devastated to find out that Jensen had become a bit of a recluse, only socializing when he was at work or The Playhouse, and even there, he only spoke to his few friends. Jared found out that some of Jensen’s friends had cut ties with the omega after being warned not to be too friendly with him, causing Jensen to pull away from most social activities. He preferred to keep mostly to himself, and his nervous stutter had gotten even worse, especially around alphas.

Jared felt responsible for Jensen’s challenging experience in school. He had asked his friends to keep an eye on him, but maybe they had overstepped their bounds, had been more forceful than he’d meant for them to be. Then, on top of Jensen not spending much time with his friends, Jared had practically convinced his mother to kick him out of his home after he’d turned eighteen. Jared was responsible for Jensen being a socially awkward, unmated omega. He only hoped that he would be able to make it up to him. 

He’d been home for a week and had gone into the coffee shop Jensen worked at every day to see him and re-establish the connection he was sure had been there before he’d left. Despite the fifteen-year age difference, Jared felt determined to attract Jensen, to earn his favor. He could feel his rut approaching; it would be early, probably due to all his travel and the pressure he’d been under since he’d been back home and accepted his role as head alpha. Jared would make his pack proud, and he desperately wanted to make Jensen notice him.

If Jensen felt the same way as Jared, maybe their cycles would align, and Jared would have the opportunity to help Jensen through his heat while he was in rut. If he could get Jensen to talk to him, they could have a conversation about it before their hormones took over, and Jared could express his intentions. Jared wondered if it would be an abuse of power to find Jensen at his apartment and ask if they could talk. On the one hand, Jensen would be comfortable at home and should feel within his rights to turn Jared away; on the other hand, Jared would be invading Jensen’s private space, and with Jared being pack alpha, would Jensen feel like he had the power to tell him to shove off? 

In the end, Jared decided that keeping their meetings public would have to be the way to proceed. There was no threat to Jensen, and Jared wouldn’t be overstepping in any way. The problem Jared was running into was that Jensen hadn’t left his apartment, except to go to work. In the week since Jared had been back, Jensen hadn’t been to any pack gathering, or even to the grocery store, as far as Jared had noticed. He had come home to an anxious, borderline shut-in omega that Jared had hoped would have been a happily thriving, independent young man. The guilt made it nearly impossible for him to sleep. 

On Saturday, Jared decided not to run away after getting his order, opting to sit and eat in the cafe, wait until Jensen got off work, then invite him to sit with him. Jared also liked to watch Jensen work. How nimble his fingers were with the cups and saucers, how easily he operated the machine. Jared chuckled to himself when Jensen’s glasses fogged up while steaming milk, and Jensen got frustrated and cursed to himself. He looked up to see if anyone had caught his slip up, but Jared hid behind a sip of his coffee. Hanging out where he worked was probably the last place Jensen would feel comfortable, but aside from stalking him to his house or being the creepy older alpha hanging out at The Playhouse, Jared had no other option.

“Bye, Jen!” Briana called from across the shop. 

“Here ya go,” Kim said as she handed Jensen a steamy cup. 

“Thanks. Bye, y’all.”

Jared watched as Jensen kept his eyes on his cup and crossed the seating area on his way to the door. When Jensen got close to where he sat, Jared bit the inside of his lip then made himself speak. “Jensen!” He didn’t yell so much as he’d accidentally shouted in his hurry to catch him before he escaped through the door. He laughed to cover his embarrassment. “Would you like to sit with me while I finish my bagel? Maybe we could catch up.” Jared raised his eyebrows hopefully.

“Um, me?” Jensen asked, still looking at his coffee cup.

Jared quieted his voice so as not to spook him. “Is there another Jensen I should be on the lookout for?” 

Jared felt like his joke succeeded when Jensen smiled and shook his head. Standing, Jared offered Jensen the seat across from him at the small table by the window. Jensen looked back to Kim and Briana, who were smiling and motioning for him to sit, then everywhere else except for Jared. Jensen was much more skittish than Jared had expected; he’d have to tread carefully. 

“Thank you.”

Jensen looked up from his cup at the expression. “For what?”

Jared smiled now that he had his attention; Jensen’s eyes were even greener than he remembered, even through the glasses. “For agreeing to sit with me. And for making this amazing bagel.”

Jensen only nodded and looked back to his coffee cup, which Jared noticed he was gripping with both hands. What had he done to this poor boy? “Jensen, I owe you an apology.”

That got his attention again. 

“For what?” He was genuinely confused, as he should be. Jared’s more certain than ever that his friends had probably sworn everyone they had threatened to secrecy and had never let Jensen know of his intentions. 

Jared let out a heavy breath. How could he possibly explain why everything in the last five years had happened to him? “For the last five years.”

Jensen tilted his head and furrowed his brows, probably wondering if he should have his new pack leader committed for lunacy. Then he regarded the sidewalk through the window. “What about them?”

There was no tiptoeing around this; if they were going to have a chance, he had to come clean. “Your alpha friends pulling away from you in school, your mother suggesting you live at Steve’s apartments, how no other alpha will give you the time of day. It all seems to have gone terribly wrong, and you have not benefited from everything that I had tried to do for you while I was away, and for that, I am eternally sorry.”

Jensen said nothing; he had jerked away at the mention of everything Jared was egregiously ashamed of, almost as if it physically pained him to hear them all listed aloud. Jared could see Jensen’s widened eyes starting to fill with tears, and his breathing had become ragged; Jared was making it worse.

“Jensen, please believe me when I say that I only had the best intentions and that I will spend the rest of my life, making it up to you.” Jensen’s eyes snapped to his, then he added, “If you’ll have me.”

Jensen let out a baleful laugh that caught the attention of everyone in the coffee house. “You ap-pologize… and you w-want me? Asking i-if—” Jensen was getting choked up and wasn’t breathing well, on top of stuttering so badly that Jared had a hard time knowing what he was trying to say. 

Jared sat and patiently waited for Jensen to calm enough to speak again, but then Jensen turned and noticed everyone looking at them. He jumped from his seat so quickly that the chair toppled over, then he ran from the shop, leaving his coffee sitting on the table and his chair lying on the floor. 

Jared apologized to the small group of people, grabbed Jensen’s coffee, then ran after him. The advantage of being as tall as he was and having his alpha strength was that he could easily catch Jensen before he had made it to his apartment building. 

“Jensen!” 

Jensen froze mid-step but didn’t turn to greet him. He was going to have a panic attack if he wasn’t already in the middle of one. Jared slowed and made a wide circle around him so that he wouldn’t spook him, and they could be face to face. Jensen had tear tracks down his cheeks, and his eyes were wide, breath still erratic. 

“Jensen, please. What do you need?” Jared had never felt so hopeless. 

Jensen’s face was bright red, and he was sweating, then Jared noticed that smell. The smoky scent of burning oak that made his mouth water and his jeans grow tight. Jensen was going into heat. As soon as he had the thought, Jensen took another step toward his apartment, then collapsed into Jared’s arms. Jared dropped Jensen’s coffee in order to catch him, the spicy scent adding to the bonfire smell that was permeating the air around them.

Jared did the only thing that he could think of; he carried Jensen back to his house. He wasn’t going to invade Jensen’s space when he wasn’t able to consent, and Jared had an extra bedroom; being around an alpha’s scent was also supposed to help when an omega was in heat. The few times Jared had been with omegas during their heat-cycle, they had stayed glued to his scent gland; he’d also studied all of the reproductive cycles in school. This was his first time seeing such a violent symptom before, and he had no experience with passed out omegas in heat. All he could do was try to bring Jensen’s temperature down and make him comfortable and keep him hydrated. 

Once they were in his house, he brought Jensen to his guest bathroom and ran a washcloth under cold water to place on the back of his neck. He wet another one to wipe the sweat from his brow and neck, everywhere he could reach without removing Jensen’s clothes. After a few moments, Jensen’s eyelids fluttered open, and he looked bleary-eyed at Jared. 

“Jared?” Jensen’s wrecked voice made Jared growl in the back of his throat. 

“I’m here, ‘mega. Gonna take care of you,” Jared swore. 

“Two times,” Jensen said, then smiled to himself and purred, honest to God _purred_. 

Jared groaned and lifted Jensen into a standing position to walk him to his guest room to lie down. Jensen tucked in perfectly under his arm and buried his face into Jared’s chest. Apparently, all of his nerves had evaporated with his sweat. It hit Jared that he was taking advantage of Jensen; that was the last thing he wanted to do. 

Jensen tried to cling to him when Jared laid him down in the queen-bed he kept made up for company. Jared had to fight to get himself free so that he could turn the ceiling fan on and crack the window for a cool breeze. He would have to call his mother to see what else he should do to make Jensen more comfortable. 

“Jared,” Jensen cried out. “Please.”

Jared’s dick twitched in his pants, and his pulse skyrocketed. He needed to get out of the room. Jared could block out the smell in favor of helping Jensen, but the pleading and begging of Jared’s name, how could any man, any _alpha_ , resist that?

He left the door cracked and took up residence in his living room, he could still hear Jensen from down the hall, but he could suppress his urge to knot him at that distance. 

“Jared,” his mother greeted cheerfully.

“Mom, I need your help.” Jared couldn’t keep the desperation out of his voice, even to greet her properly; his fried nerves wouldn’t let him. 

“What is it? Jared, are you alright?”

“Yes, mom. I’m sorry, I’m fine, it’s Jensen.”

“That sweet boy from the coffee shop that you like? What’s the matter?”

“I talked to him today.”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s grea—”

“MOM, _please_! We talked, and he got upset and ran away, and when I caught up to him, he’d gone into heat, and now I have him set up in the guest room, and I have no idea what I’m doing. Mom, what do I do?”

“ _Jared Tristen Padalecki_. Did you scare that poor boy into heat then kidnap him?”

“Ma! No… well, when you say it like that.”

“What’s happening? Does he take suppressants when he’s in heat, or does he take care of it naturally? Is he seeing anyone that needs to be notified of his state? Does he have a card on him in case this sort of thing happens in public?”

Was that an omega thing he’d never heard of? “A card?” 

“Yes, Jared, a card. Like a medical ID card that explains what sort of precautions to take if he were to become unconscious in public from heat complications. I’m surprised at you. It’s as if you’d never spent any time with an omega before.”

“Not like this, mama. Where do I look? Would it be in his wallet?”

“Are you going to be alright, being in the same room with him, you’re awful close to your own—”

“Yes, mama, I’ll be fine. Everything I’ll need to know will be on that card?”

“If he’s got one, it should be. Otherwise, just keep him cool and hydrated, and when he’s lucid, he’ll be able to tell you what he needs.”

Jared could feel some of his anxiety leave him from her reassurance. “Okay, mama, thanks. I’ll call you back later and let you know how it goes.”

“Alright, sweetie. And Jared?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Do not claim that young man unless he gives you explicit, lucid, consent; do I make myself clear?”

“Mama, I would nev— Yes, ma’am.”

“Alright, go take care of that boy, Jared.”

“Yes, ma’am. Bye, mama.”

Jared hung up the phone and went straight to the refrigerator to grab a few bottles of water and an ice pack to help keep Jensen cool. The scent of firewood filled his every thought as he made his way back down the hallway to Jensen. When he opened the door, the breeze from the fan smothered him with Jensen’s smoky aroma. Jared braced himself, even as the sweet scent of his arousal spiked. 

Jensen lay spread out on the bed in only his boxers, covered in sweat, and Jared could smell the slick that was surely soaking the thin cotton and possibly the bedspread. 

“Jensen?”

“Mmm, Jared.” His eyes were unfocused, and his voice strained.

Jared doubted Jensen knew where he was, let alone that Jared was standing in the same room as him. That meant that Jensen was calling out for him in a heat-induced haze. Jared’s hindbrain roared in excitement; his omega wanted him, needed him. 

“Jensen. ‘Mega, I need your card. Do you have a card?”

“ _Ung_.”

“Where’s your wallet? Is it in your pants?” Jared knew he was talking to himself, but it made him feel better about going through Jensen’s clothes while the omega writhed in pain on his guest bed. “Where are your pants? Here we go… and your wallet. That is an _adorable_ picture. Ok, card, card… do you have a card?” There was a folded piece of paper in the cash pocket of the wallet that Jared assumed would be important, so he took it out and unfolded it. 

“‘Mr. Ackles, your suppressants should help alleviate your more severe symptoms. However, as we discussed at your last appointment, having an alpha knot you during your next heat will be the most reliable way to cure your heat sickness’. Heat sickness? Jensen.” 

Jared’s heart broke. Jensen was literally suffering because of him. Jared had inadvertently kept him from the one thing that could have offered him a reprieve. If he hadn’t had every alpha in Jensen’s life chased off, maybe he wouldn’t be writhing in pain in Jared’s spare room. However, the thought of another alpha touching Jensen made his blood boil. Jared needed to get Jensen lucid so they could talk, _really_ talk. 

“Jensen, you need to drink this water.” Jared kneeled on the bed and placed the ice pack on the back of Jensen’s neck, then Jensen wrapped his arms around Jared’s neck and pulled him down to burrow his nose into Jared’s scent gland. 

“Espresso,” Jensen mumbled into Jared’s skin.

“Espresso?” Jared had always thought of his scent as earthy with a bit of a nutty undertone, but espresso?

“Mhmm,” Jensen hummed, nodding his head into Jared’s neck. 

Jensen calmed down, and Jared could feel that his temperature had dropped slightly; maybe just scenting him was helping. There was nothing wrong with laying down and letting Jensen scent him until he felt better, Jared still had his clothes on, and he wasn’t going to touch Jensen. Jared leaned back and got comfortable against the headboard, then put his arm across the pillow, trying his damndest not to wrap it around Jensen’s shoulders and pull him in close. 

After about ten minutes, Jensen was snoring softly, and his body only felt slightly warm to the touch.

Jared placed a kiss into Jensen’s hair. “Jensen?”

“Mm?” Jensen mumbled, then jerked awake. “Jared?! What in the— w-where am I?” Jensen scrambled away from him, grabbing a pillow to cover himself.

Jared jumped out of the bed and held his hands out in concession.

“Where are my c-clothes? My gl-lasses?”

“You passed out on the sidewalk, and I didn’t know where to take you—” As he spoke, he looked for where Jensen’s glasses might have landed.

“So you br-ring me back to y-your place and str-rip me down?!”

“No! Jensen, no. I would never! I laid you down in here and went to get you some water, and when I came back, you were in your underwear.” Jared spotted his glasses under his shirt, picked them up, and offered them to Jensen. “I swear, I didn’t touch you.”

Jensen put his glasses on and leveled a disbelieving glare at Jared. “But y-you were in th-the bed.”

“I brought you an ice pack. When I leaned over to put it on the back of your neck, you pulled me in. You mumbled something about espresso, then you settled down and passed out. I swear that’s all that happened.”

“Espresso? I s-said that?” Jensen flushed again, but not from his heat. 

Jared smiled. “Yeah, you said it when you were nuzzling my scent gland.”

“I did what?!” 

Jared threw Jensen his shirt. He didn’t want to come across as abrasive or insensitive, so he kept his voice quiet as he brought up something so private. “Jensen, I was looking for a medical card in your wallet so I could help you, and I saw the letter from your doctor.”

Jensen had his shirt halfway on and lowered it slowly, purposefully not looking at Jared. Jared tossed a bottle of water to Jensen, who watched it land and roll but didn’t reach for it. 

“Jensen, please drink some water. We need to finish our conversation from earlier while we’re still thinking straight.”

“We?” Jensen was still looking at the bottle. 

Jared felt sweat bead over his brow. “Your, um, heat triggered my rut.”

“So, you’re gone for f-five years, and you come b-back, and what? Our cycles just h-happen to sync like we’re m-mates?” Jensen whispered toward the water bottle. He sounded doubtful and hopeful at the same time. 

Jared couldn’t help but smile. “That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about, but not while you were incoherent.” 

“You’re an alpha in rut that doesn’t knot an omega in heat?”

“Not without their consent.” 

“And after everything you did to wreck my life?”

“I swear to you, I never meant to hurt you. I was only trying to make your life as great as the omegas that I’d seen while abroad. I had no idea that my friends would drive your friends away; they were supposed to be looking after you. It was never my intention to hurt you; I just wanted you for myself when I came back home.” Jared whispered that last part, afraid to admit it out loud.

“Wait, so… the whole time? Even before you left?” Jensen was still speaking quietly, but he wasn’t so upset that he was stuttering anymore. 

“I’ve had my eye on you for a long time. You’ve grown into exactly the omega I had hoped you’d be.” 

Jensen chuckled. “Yeah, right.”

“You honestly don’t have any idea how attractive you are? Jensen, you are a _prize_ omega.”

Jensen twisted his finger around the lid on the bottle, not saying anything. When he swallowed his first sip, his thirst took over, and he chugged the rest of the bottle down. Jared tossed him another bottle—which Jensen chugged half of—then took a seat on the edge of the bed. 

“Any alpha would be lucky to be with you, Jensen.”

Jensen swallowed another chug of water. “To knot me, you mean.”

“Do you think so little of yourself? You’re worth so much more than that.”

“Yeah, I’m a giant, sick, stuttering omega who can’t even talk to an alpha, let alone defend any future pups.” 

Jensen sounded so sure that that was how people saw him that Jared wanted to punch a brick wall. “Jensen, you- you are stunning and smart and funny. Any alpha should consider themselves lucky to get to be with you in any way you’d allow.”

Jensen didn’t say anything for a long while; he just sat there, peeling the label off of the water bottle. “You know,” he laughed, little crinkles appearing in the corners of his eyes, “I’d daydream about this. Me going into heat and you swooping in to save the day.”

Jared scooted closer to Jensen on the bed. He dropped his voice and asked, “So you daydream about me?”

Jensen bit his bottom lip and kept his eyes trained on the comforter as he nodded. 

“And you would like for me to help you with your heat? Give you what you need?”

Jensen’s breathing became labored, and he whimpered, still looking down but still nodding his head. 

“Jensen, I need you to look at me and tell me that it’s okay. I’m not going to touch you otherwise.”

Jensen slowly brought his gaze up to meet Jared’s. His eyes were hard and focused, if not wet. “I want you to….”

“Anything, Jensen.”

“Want you to knot me, alpha.”

Jared uncontrollably growled. “You’re sure? It’s not just your heat talking?”

“I’ve wanted it for a long time.” Jensen closed his eyes and worried his bottom lip. “Wanted _you_ for a long time, my….” He took a deep breath. “My m-mate.”

Jared’s hindbrain erupted with joy, hearing Jensen confirm what he had known all these years; Jensen is his _mate_. 

“With us both going into our cycles, I could—”

“Claim me. I’m yours; I’m ready; always been yours, alpha.” Jensen winced in pain and doubled over the pillow he was still using to cover his lap. 

Jared’s hindbrain needed no time to spring into action, nearly jumping Jensen from the other side of the bed. Jared had Jensen pillowless and pinned beneath him within a heartbeat, his hands rucking his shirt up and his mouth hovering over Jensen’s. 

“Alpha, it’s okay,” Jensen said as he arched his back for Jared to remove his shirt, which coincidently put Jensen’s sinful mouth closer to Jared’s. 

“Mmm, ‘mega.” Jared tried to reign his hindbrain in. He wanted to remember and savor his first taste of Jensen; he wished it had been another way. 

Jared lowered his lips to Jensen's after Jensen’s shirt rejoined the rest of his clothes on the floor. Part of him had expected an actual spark, a recognition of souls, or some such nonsense. What happened instead was utterly unexpected but equally as exhilarating. Jared’s entire body warmed, almost unbearably so, and Jensen’s cooled down to match. They balanced each other out as Jared’s lips pressed into Jensen’s. His body instantly melted to Jared’s, and Jared instinctively knew what he needed to do. 

Trying to take his clothes off while maintaining constant physical contact with Jensen was a feat he happily undertook. The sweet tang of his omega’s arousal was the perfect motivator; never before had he been so in tune with a partner, so anticipatory of their needs. Jared took his time kissing Jensen, discovering exactly how hard or soft he needed him to be, how much tongue was too much or not enough, and especially how Jensen liked having his bottom lip nibbled on. All Jared had done was kiss him, and Jensen was already so pliant and submissive. 

After rendering Jensen senseless with his mouth alone, Jared made his way down Jensen’s body, kissing and licking his way over his collarbones and nipples. He followed each constellation of freckles down to Jensen’s hip bones and the band of his boxers. Jared teased his fingers under the rim of the elastic, and Jensen bucked his hips and moaned. 

Being so close to the scent of Jensen’s slick was driving Jared mad with want. He could feel his pulse quicken as his cock throbbed with the need to fuck and mate and breed. Jared’s lips followed his fingers as they pulled Jensen’s boxers down enough to free his omega cock. His tip was shiny with precome, and Jared’s mouth watered for a taste. Losing the will to prolong either of their pleasure, Jared whipped Jensen’s boxers the rest of the way down his legs, sank his mouth onto Jensen’s cock, and shoved two fingers into his slick hole. 

Jared swallowed his omega’s cock easily, his nose brushing against Jensen’s wiry hairs at its base. He tongued along the thick vein that ran on the bottom and swirled his way around Jensen’s crown. He found Jensen’s prostate with ease and massaged the bundle of nerves as Jensen wailed and keened and wriggled against the bed. The tang of Jensen’s come hit his tongue at the same time that Jensen’s inner muscles squeezed around his fingers. Jensen called out his name as he came, and Jared greedily sucked down everything Jensen had to give him. Jared couldn’t wait to plunge his cock into that tight, wet heat. 

Jared kissed and sucked his way up Jensen’s body, then Jensen gripped his neck and pulled him down to suck his own essence from Jared’s tongue.  The sound of Jensen’s whimper when their mouths met would replay in Jared’s mind for years to come; it made his heart sing and his knot ache to tie them together.

“Alpha,” Jensen breathed. 

“‘M here, ‘mega.”

Jared wasted no time lining himself up and pressing slowly into Jensen. He knew no alpha had touched him, but he wasn’t sure if Jensen was still a virgin. Fucking himself with an inflatable knot was leagues away from taking a real cock, especially an alpha cock and knot. Although Jensen’s body was begging to take him, Jared refused to hurt him. He wasn’t so far gone into his rut to risk it, not yet. 

Jensen was so slick he was sucking Jared in until they were hip to hip. He started with smooth short thrusts, gauging his omega’s reactions. Jensen was incredibly reactive and vocal, moaning and groaning with every move Jared made. He could feel Jensen’s heartbeat from inside, and his hindbrain took over, his inner alpha surging to the forefront and staking his claim. 

Jared slammed into him, over and over, drinking in the noises he was pulling from his omega. Jensen’s slick was pouring out of him, soaking them both with the sweet, oaky scent and blending with his earthy smell to create something singularly _them_. They were scent-bonding.

Sweat poured from Jared’s forehead, his hair getting stuck to his face, but that was the last thing on his mind. The room smelled like a caramelized, freshly lit, oak bonfire, and it was intoxicating. Jensen’s nails scratched down Jared’s back, driving him to set a breakneck pace. Jared had never allowed his inner alpha to have full control, but the smell of their combined scents and finally being connected to _his omega_ was too much to handle. 

Time seemed to both speed up and slow down, minutes stretching into hours that never ended. Every touch, every sound, every breath was beyond anything that Jared had ever dreamed would be possible. The bigger his knot got, the louder his growls and Jensen’s mewling became. In the very outskirts of his consciousness, Jared reminded himself that Jensen had never taken a knot before, and Jared was not a small alpha, anywhere. 

He could barely slow down his thrusts, and Jensen looked up at him with wild eyes.

“No, no, please, alpha!"

“Shh, ‘mega, I’ve got you. Just-” Jared groaned as he started to pull out of Jensen’s tight ass. “We need to switch up before I knot you; it wouldn’t be comfortable for you this way.” 

They were both breathing so heavy; all Jensen could do was nod his head in acquiescence. 

Jared pulled out with a groan and instantly regretted his decision. “Present for me, my darling omega.”

Jensen preened at his title and hurried as well as he could, being draped in sweaty alpha, to roll over, arch his back, and thrust his hips up for Jared. His slick hole, pink and open and dripping from where Jared had been fucking him. If he had been a younger alpha, Jared is sure his knot would have popped from the sight. 

“Please, alpha,” Jensen begged after a moment, and Jared was a weak man for his gorgeous omega; he would never be able to deny him anything. 

Jared covered Jensen with his body and was welcomed in without hesitation when he thrust his hips forward. The new angle offered more depth for Jared’s cock, and he was sure he was reaching places Jensen had never dared imagine. Jensen was insatiable, meeting him thrust for thrust and calling out for him over and over in ragged, wrecked breaths. 

Jared’s knot started to swell more and more with each thrust, and soon it was catching on Jensen’s sensitive, virginal rim. Jensen started to whimper and tense up beneath him. 

“Relax, ‘mega, not gonna hurt you. It’s gonna feel so good. You’re doing so great for me. So good for me. My perfect omega.” Jared reassured him over and over.

Slowly, Jensen relaxed, and with one sharp thrust, Jared’s knot shoved through and locked them together. Jared’s cock was pulsing his release into his omega, locked in tight. Without hesitation, Jared bit down on Jensen’s scent gland and sunk his teeth in, marking him, claiming him as his omega for the rest of their lives. Jared was still coming as he reached around Jensen’s hip to make sure he was coming too, his knuckles brushed against so much sticky come on the bedspread that there was no doubt Jensen had found his climax several times over. 

Still weakly pumping his omega full of his seed, Jared tucked himself closer to Jensen and rolled them onto their sides, their legs entwined and hearts racing. Jared placed kisses along Jensen’s shoulders, and kitten licked at his fresh mating bite. He had never felt more complete; he had finally claimed his mate.

“I never knew it would be like that,” Jensen mumbled as he nuzzled into Jared’s bicep. 

“Me neither,” Jared admitted quietly. “It feels amazing.”

“I feel… the same, only better? If that makes any sense.” Jensen huffed a quiet laugh, then yawned.

Jared kissed his neck above his claim. “It makes perfect sense. Get some sleep; I’ll want to knot you again as soon as this one goes down.” He nuzzled into Jensen’s neck and stayed there, breathing in their combined scent.

Jensen wiggled his ass and groaned. “I don’t know if I can take it again, alpha.” He was whispering now, trying to stay awake. 

“You can do anything, my perfect,” he kissed Jensen’s shoulder, “sweet,” he kissed him again, working his way up to his neck, “sexy,” he licked and sucked on his mark, “omega.” Jensen purred. “I’m not going anywhere; get some sleep,” Jared whispered into his ear. In the next breath, Jensen’s breathing evened out, and he was boneless in Jared’s arms. 

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Jensen couldn’t contain himself as he ran down the city streets, dodging people and jumping bags of trash in his hurry. He had to get to his alpha, had to see Jared. Jared was in a pack meeting, but that didn’t matter; all of that could wait. Jensen _had_ to see him. 

Every instinct he had was telling him to scent and touch and be touched and scented by his alpha. He couldn’t wait a moment longer. The doors banged open with such a racket and a burst of cold air that he attracted everyone’s attention in the meeting hall. His old anxiety rolled through his stomach as the room full of alphas looked him over. He realized, then, that he hadn’t bothered to grab a coat or scarf or the hat and mittens that Jared insisted he bundle up in. 

Jared must have felt his panic because he rushed across the room to be by his side. He grabbed Jensen’s fingers and began to rub them to warm them up. 

“What is it? What’s happened?”

Jensen could feel the pressure building up in his eyes, and his breathing was already erratic from his run from their house, blocks away. He smiled as he looked up into his alpha’s eyes, lips quivering as he tried to keep the tears at bay and his voice even for his news. 

He grabbed one of his alpha’s hands and placed it low on his belly. “We did it, alpha.”

Jared’s eyes went wide and wet, and his smile was bright enough to light the room. His fingers flexed over Jensen’s womb, which would soon be showing the signs of their growing pup. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So happy Jensen finally feels good about himself! How many pups do you reckon they'll have? 
> 
> Anyone want an epilogue to see what they're all up to a few years from now?

**Author's Note:**

> Do y'all think Jensen's got a shot with the hot pack alpha? Is Briana right, or is Jensen just an undesirable omega?
> 
> Tune in Thursday for Jared's POV and to find out what he's been up to for the last 5 years!


End file.
